Duke star Cooper Flagg, the SEC's dominance and a few returns to glory are among the angles to keep an eye on this week.
Over the next two weeks, 64 games will whittle a 68-team NCAA Tournament field down to the elite group that will descend on San Antonio for the 2025 Final Four . Stars will emerge, Cinderellas will don the glass slipper, and plenty of dreams — and brackets — will be shattered.
But even in an event built on iconic surprises, a few key storylines are already in the spotlight as play gets underway this week: 1. The Duke double Not since Anthony Davis has a player led a team to an NCAA championship and gone on to become the No. 1 pick in that year’s NBA Draft, doing so with Kentucky in 2012. Before that, the most recent example was Danny Manning with Kansas in 1988. Duke and star forward Cooper Flagg are positioned to repeat the feat this season, as the Blue Devils enter the tournament as the betting favorite even with Auburn claiming the No. 1 overall seed. Flagg, the 6-foot-9 do-everything freshman forward, is the favorite to win the Naismith Player of the Year Award, averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. His status as the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has never wavered. Flagg missed Duke’s final two games of the ACC tournament due to a sprained ankle, but he’s expected to be ready come NCAA Tournament time. When healthy, Flagg has looked nearly unstoppable. Unless, of course, he’s facing Incarnate Word. The Cardinals held Flagg to just six points — his lowest output in a game he was healthy enough to finish — on 2-of-8 shooting in 22 minutes, but the Blue Devils rolled to a 72-46 win on Dec. 10. 2. SEC elite Perhaps the NCAA Tournament selection committee heard all the griping from SEC brass about how the league’s strength of schedule was undervalued in the College Football Playoff process, because the basketball contingent did not risk the same mistake. Fourteen programs from the 16-team league cracked the 68-team field, claiming more than one-third of the at-large selections. Even 15-loss Texas found a place in the bracket, ranking No. 44 in the country in the KenPom efficiency rankings despite being 14th in its own league. The SEC’s dominance this year crushed the record for most bids by a single league, passing the Big East’s mark of 11 in 2011. With so many teams in the mix, potential matchups were unavoidable, with second-round possibilities including No. 1 Florida vs. No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 11 Texas and No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt. Two Sweet 16 clashes could also be on the menu if seeding holds: No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 4 Texas A&M, and No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Kentucky. 3. Redemption tour Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino has returned a storied St. John’s program to prominence, as the Red Storm earned a No. 2 seed in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. St. John’s surged to a 10-win improvement in Pitino’s second season this year, but that’s nothing compared to the turnaround at Louisville. The Cardinals were 8-24 last season before first-year coach Pat Kelsey led the group to a 27-7 record and a No. 8 seed. Dusty May sparked a similar turnaround for No. 5 seed Michigan, flipping the Wolverines from 8-24 last year to 25-9 with a Big Ten Tournament championship. Missouri is also on a resurgent run, claiming a No. 6 seed after ending last season on a 19-game losing streak. 4. Better late than never A couple of preseason favorites failed to live up to expectations, becoming middling seeds with Final Four talent. Kansas opened the year as the No. 1 team in the country but has hit some turbulence down the stretch, dropping eight of its past 15 games. The Jayhawks earned a No. 7 seed behind a sturdy defense, and 7-foot-2 center Hunter Dickinson still ranks as one of the best players in the field. Connecticut started the 2024-25 season ranked No. 3 and searching for a third straight national title, but the Huskies have lacked the defensive punch that pushed them over the top the past two years. Still, No. 8 seed UConn presents a potentially dangerous second-round matchup for No. 1 Florida — the last team to win back-to-back titles before the Huskies. 5. Underdog darlings The surprise factor is half the fun with double-digit seed upsets, but two teams in particular have all the tools to capture national attention. No. 12 seed UC San Diego has won 15 straight games, claiming the Big West title in its first year of NCAA Tournament eligibility. The Tritons force turnovers at a high level and unleash a barrage of 3-pointers, creating a dangerous matchup for any opponent. No. 11 seed Drake is another loveable underdog, with first-year coach Ben McCollum making the leap from Division II Northwest Missouri State and bringing star guard Bennett Stirtz and three other former DII standouts with him. None of the double-digit seeds may be likely to survive the road to San Antonio, but at least one of them is sure to create some bumps along the way.
SEC NCAA Huskies UC San Diego Kentucky Auburn Jayhawks Texas A&Amp College Football Big East ACC Incarnate Word Alabama Vanderbilt Hall Of Fame Huskies. 5 Uconn Northwest Missouri State Division II Tritons Big West Wolverines Dusty May Final Four Rick Pitino Cinderellas Bennett Stirtz Pat Kelsey Ben Mccollum Anthony Davis Danny Manning M Hunter Dickinson Drake Cooper Flagg Kansas San Antonio Texas Oklahoma Florida Kentucky Auburn St. John Kenpom Tennessee Louisville Connecticut Missouri Michigan NCAA Tournament NBA Draft Big Ten Tournament Naismith Player Of The Year Award Underdog
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
HBCU All-Star basketball games come to San Antonio during Final FourThe Historically Black Colleges and Universities All-Star basketball game will tip off at the Freeman Coliseum on San Antonio’s East Side.
Read more »
San Antonio hospitality workers rally for livable wages ahead of Final FourSAN ANTONIO — Dozens of hospitality workers gathered outside City Hall today, demanding a livable wage as the city prepares to host the 2025 NCAA Men's Final Fo
Read more »
City of San Antonio plans minimal road construction disruptions across city for Final FourWe are less than one month away from the Final Four, expected to bring thousands of visitors. City of San Antonio plans for minimal road construction disruption
Read more »
Five San Antonio heroes to be celebrated during NCAA Men's Final Four championship gameSAN ANTONIO - As the NCAA Men's Final Four approaches in San Antonio, the organization has announced the five recipients of its 2025 Legends and Legacy Communit
Read more »
San Antonio Hosts Selection Sunday Watch Party for 2025 NCAA Men's Final FourSan Antonio is gearing up to host the 2025 NCAA Men's Final Four, and the excitement is building. The San Antonio Local Organizing Committee is hosting a Selection Sunday Watch Party to celebrate the announcement of the 68 teams vying for a spot in the tournament. The event will be livestreamed on KSAT and feature a viewing party for the bracket reveals, with the men's selection starting at 5 p.m. and the women's selection at 7 p.m.
Read more »
March Madness: Four Teams With Clearest Path to the Men’s NCAA Tournament Final FourThese top seeds face manageable matchups in their NCAA tournament regions to get to San Antonio.
Read more »